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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24093301">Being Ourselves</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bonesda/pseuds/Bonesda'>Bonesda</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Z-O-M-B-I-E-S (Disney Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:49:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,074</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24093301</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bonesda/pseuds/Bonesda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zed and Addison want to be themselves. How far will they have to go do so?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Zed Necrodopoulus &amp; Addison Wells, Zed Necrodopoulus/Addison Wells</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They were in their Zombie Safe Room embracing each other.  Missy and Dale, Addison’s parents, were still unhappy with their relationship, and they had let Addison know about it in the form of a shouting match the previous day.  Addison felt safe in Zed’s arms. ‘Why couldn’t they understand that?  Why did they have to question him so much?  Why don’t they trust me?’  “I feel like they just hate me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know, baby, but they are just loving you in their own special way,” Zed responded sadly.  He pulled her in tighter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sometimes, I just wish we could go away and be ourselves somewhere else,” Addison moaned, burying her head into his chest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zed laughed. “Yeah I don’t think that would work well.  Our families, especially yours, would kill me; I mean us.”  Addison got a serious look on her face.  “What?” Zed asked, puzzled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What if it did work?”  Addison asked, pulling away slightly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Uh? Addison are you crazy?”  Zed asked, laughing again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Seriously, Zed.  What if we did run away?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Um, well, first, where would we go?”  Zed asked.  “How are we going to hide, you know, the fact that I'm a Zombie?  Are you prepared to leave everything and everyone here behind? For me?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes, I am, and we can figure out the rest as we go.  Are you prepared to leave everyone here?”  Addison countered.  “Honestly, you have more to lose than I do, Zed.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zed paused, thinking for a moment.  He needed to gather his thoughts.  “I do, and you’re right, but I’ve said this before, Addison. I would move the moon for you if you wanted.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Addison smiled.  “Okay.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Okay.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Zach and Ally Davis</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A fluffy chapter before we really get into things.  I thought an introduction to their new lives was in order before we really began.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’re all set to go, Ally,” called Brian, her manager at the diner where she worked as a waitress.</p>
<p> She looked up and smiled, relieved to finally be able to go home after a long nine-hour day at work.  “Thanks, Brian!”  she called back as she headed for the kitchen to hang her apron up and get her things to leave. </p>
<p> As she was coming back through the front, Brian stopped her and asked, “Kelsey said you’d be willing to pick up her shift tomorrow morning.  Is that right?  Are you sure you’ll be able to handle it?  That’ll be six days this week and five last week; eleven days in a row.”</p>
<p> She smiled back at him and nodded.  “I’ll be fine!  You know I like the work and besides Zach and I could use the extra money right now!”</p>
<p> “All right! Well, then go home and get some rest.  I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early again.”  Brian replied, still hesitant. </p>
<p> “Have a good night,” she shouted as she walked out the door and started her walk to the apartment complex.  She looked down at her watch before picking up her pace.  “I need to hurry.”</p>
<p> Newark, Delaware was a quaint little town, in the second smallest state in the United States, that played host to the University of Delaware.  When she and Zed had moved away from home, they needed something small and quiet, but somewhere some kids were.  What better than a random small town that hosts the state’s university?  The college kids hid them well in the beginning and then as they got older, they blended in with the town’s regulars.</p>
<p> Eight years ago, when they first left Seabrook, they had several challenges to overcome, primarily that Addison was underage.  That problem was solved in the form of fake IDs they acquired to make the trip.  They knew they needed new identities, so they just aged Addison up a year.  That was also how they managed to become Zachary and Allison Davis, Ally and Zach.  They were so clearly in love that as strange as it was no one really questioned why they were married so young.</p>
<p> Of course, another dilemma they had when they moved was that they had no money.  The solution of that meant jobs for both.  Addison managed to get a waitressing job at a local diner and Zed helped out at one of the local book shops that sold books for the students at the school.  They would never be rich, but that did not bother either of them.  Zed also did some bartending on the side when they needed some extra dough, which was more often nowadays.</p>
<p> Addison made it home in good time and climbed the flight of stairs to their floor.  She walked over to apartment number 201 and knocked on the door.  When the door opened, she was greeted with a gleeful, “Ally!  How was your day?”</p>
<p> “Hello, Mrs. Gilmore!”  Addison greeted as she walked into Mrs. Gilmore’s quiet apartment.  “It was long, but it went by relatively quickly.  The kids seem to be back in force, and it was nice to have a busy and fulfilling day.”   Mrs. Gilmore led her to the playpen sitting in her living room and Addison asked, “Did she give you any trouble today?”</p>
<p> “Of course not!  She’s been an angel, like normal,” replied the older woman.</p>
<p> Addison picked up the baby, and she cooed at her mother happily.  Annabelle Davis was a surprise neither she nor Zed, had quite expected.  Not that either one of them would give her up.  She was a perfect mix of the both of them except she managed to inherit Zed’s green hair, which was lucky, as Addison needed to dye it often to keep suspicion down, and Addison still had issues dying her own hair a different color.</p>
<p> She never thought she would be thankful that she had been used to wearing a wig.  She was now, however.  Since her own hair did not like to be dyed a color she resorted to wearing a wig to keep up their identity ruse.</p>
<p> Addison cooed at Annabelle, “Mommy missed you so much, princess.  Are you ready to go home? I’ll bet Daddy will be home soon!”  Addison turned to Mrs. Gilmore and asked her with a bit of hesitancy, “Would you be willing to watch her tomorrow too?  I managed to pick up that extra shift I mentioned this morning.”</p>
<p> Mrs. Gilmore smiled widely and said, “You know I do not mind helping you.  Stop being so childish about asking for help.  I understand what that was like.” </p>
<p> “Still, we ask for your help a lot, Mrs. Gilmore.  We just do not want to make you feel used,” Addison responded.  Mrs.  Gilmore waved her hand.  “Okay! Thank you again, Mrs. Gilmore.  Zach will drop her off before work at around eight tomorrow morning.” </p>
<p> She paid the older woman for babysitting and said goodbye. Making her way to the apartment across the hall that she shared with Zed, she thought about how It was not as small as Mrs. Gilmore’s apartment. Comparatively, however, for a family of three,  it was lacking.  The plan was to save money for a house soon, but that was slow going, especially now with another mouth to feed.  Again, while they were not rich, they did not have a problem keeping themselves or Annabelle fed.  It was just tight in places.</p>
<p>Addison got Annabelle settled in her bouncy seat before going to the kitchen and starting on dinner.  Since the fall semester was starting, she knew that the bookstore would have been remarkably busy.  She may be tired from her day, but Zed would be even more so.</p>
<p> Pasta was boiling and tomato sauce was simmering when Zed walked into the apartment about an hour later.  Zed looked so tired he almost hurt Addison to look at him.  “Long day?” She asked as he walked to a chair at the table and flopped down.</p>
<p> “My lord, why do they wait till the last minute to get their books?   All of them seem to come in at once!” He replied.  “My arms feel like jelly.  I can barely move them.”</p>
<p> Addison giggled.  “The diner was pretty busy, too.” She said as she came over and kissed the top of his brown-hair-covered head.  She looked closer and saw a small tint of green peeking out before saying, “We’ll have to re-dye it soon, love.  There is some green coming through.”</p>
<p> Zed nodded.  “I noticed that this morning, and I was going to say something.  We’ll take care of it this weekend.  You still have Saturday off?”</p>
<p>“Yep!” Addison confirmed with a nod.  “I was going to take Annabelle to watch the cheer competition that’s coming to town. OH! And I managed to get Kelsey’s shift tomorrow morning.  Mrs. Gilmore said she’d watch Annabelle for us again.”</p>
<p>Zed smiled and pulled himself up to walk over to his daughter.  “Hi sweetie.  Did you miss Daddy? I know I missed you today.”</p>
<p> Addison watched Zed interact with their daughter for a moment before remembering the food on the stove and turning to turn down the pasta before it boiled over.  “Dinner will be ready in a minute.  Did you need to change your battery before dinner?”</p>
<p> Zed shook his head negatively.  “I should be okay until tomorrow afternoon.”  Another challenge they encountered when they moved was what to do about Zed’s Z-band.  It was easily moved to his ankle and he could hide it with his pants, but what about the battery?  Luckily, their remaining contact in Seabrook was willing to send them replacement batteries when needed.  If they changed the batteries out for charging and got a new one every six months, they were golden.</p>
<p>Addison plated their dinner as Zed put Annabelle in the highchair they had at the table.  It was Zed’s turn to feed Annabelle.  Annabelle seemed to inherit her father’s appetite, however, so that was not exactly a chore.  Most of the pasta and sauce Zed put on the tray in front of her ended up in her mouth.  The real challenge was making sure pasta and sauce did not end up all over the place.</p>
<p> Addison relayed her day to Zed, and he did the same in return. Addison laughed at Zed’s stories about the teens that would come into the store looking for some obscure textbook their professor had decided was mandatory for them to have.  He enjoyed hearing about the latest gossip in the town that the regulars in the diner told Addison.</p>
<p> By the time dinner was finished, the young parents could tell Annabelle was fading.  “I’ll take her to get washed up if you’ll do the dishes,” Addison offered.</p>
<p> Zed agreed with a nod and she picked Annabelle up and walked with her sauce-covered baby into the bathroom, stopping briefly to pick up a pair of pajamas for her on the way.  Turning the water on mild heat, she stripped her quickly and got on her knees.  She put the baby in the water and began lathering her hands with the baby-safe soap they had.  She washed Annabelle’s face and cooed at her.  “Someone really liked the pasta Mommy made! She got it all over her body!”  Annabelle just smiled at her mother in response.  Addison shampooed her hair and noticed that she too would need a dye job soon.  Drying off the baby and quickly dressing her in the pajamas she had grabbed, Addison walked with the baby to the baby’s room and sat down in the rocking chair.</p>
<p>This rocking chair was a gift from Mrs. Gilmore.  Addison had wanted one desperately, when she had gotten pregnant, but Zed was unsure of the cost.  When Mrs. Gilmore found out, She told them that they could have the one sitting in her living room.  Addison had cried and thanked Mrs. Gilmore.  It was now tradition for them to rock Annabelle to sleep.  Annabelle went to sleep quickly, like normal, and Addison transferred her to the crib.  She walked out to the living room after shutting the door to the baby’s room.</p>
<p>Zed was on the couch, having finished the dishes some time ago, reading a book; Addison sat down next to him and placed her head on his shoulder.  “Penny for your thoughts?”</p>
<p>“I was thinking about how much I love you and her,” Zed responded nodding towards the baby’s room.  “I was thinking about how something like running away together could turn into this life for me.”</p>
<p> Addison grinned, but her face went thoughtful for a moment.  “Sometimes I still question if it was worth it, but then I think about her and how she may not have even been if we hadn’t done what we did eight years ago.  I’m so happy with my life with you.  Thank you, Zed,” Addison said lovingly.</p>
<p>“I don’t why you are thanking me.  It was your idea.”  Zed replied.  “I’m happy I get the chance to make you happy and give you this life, Addison.  Gar-gargiza.” </p>
<p>Addison beamed; they did not often get to use Zombie tongue anymore, but she treasured every time that got to use that phrase. “Gar-gargiza, Zed.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A few things about this chapter:  <br/>-       I started this chapter in a completely different direction before realizing that the original idea was way off the mark realistically.  They were teenagers when they moved away and would have challenges as I stated in the fic.  I hope I addressed most, if not, all the questions that could pop up.  Let me know if you think I missed something!<br/>-       Mrs. Gilmore is based on another fictional older woman; let me know if you know who! <br/>-       I used to live in Newark, DE.  It is just as I describe in this fic.<br/>-       I chose eight years for a reason!<br/>-    In the original rough draft of this, I forgot to pay Mrs. Gilmore.  My editor told me off for that one.<br/>Let me know what you all thought and let me know where you think I’m going with it!  I left a subtle hint in the dialogue near the end.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Visitors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here we go!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The alarm that morning went off way too early and way too loud for Addison’s choosing, but, alas, she did have to wake up and get ready for work.  She turned over and kissed Zed’s cheek and said, “Go back to sleep, love.  It’s just my alarm.”  She heard him grumble a bit and turn over as she giggled and got up from the bed.  She went into the bathroom and did her morning routine: brushed her teeth, went to the bathroom, took a quick morning shower, etc.  She went out into the living room and to the kitchen to grab a bagel and some cream cheese.  Deciding to eat it cold this morning, since she was a tad slow with her routine, she left the apartment, locking it on her way out, of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was still early morning, and thus the sun was barely beginning to skim the horizon.  She made her way out of the apartment complex and down the road towards the diner.  She got to the diner in good time and knocked on the door to get Brian’s attention, so he could let her in.  He opened the door and greeted her with a grunted, “Good morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning, Brian,” she replied.  “Closing went well last night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As good as normal.”  She laughed and began pulling down the chairs to the few tables at the end of the bar.  Most of the diner was booths, but there were a few tables that had chairs.  Once she was done with that, she went to the back to grab her apron.  The diner would open shortly and the early regulars would be there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She began brewing the coffee and checking for expired muffins and pastries in the display case.  Justin, the cook, arrived right as they opened and their first regular walked in right after him.  “Hey, Jack!  Do you want the normal or are we feeling adventurous today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just the normal, pretty lady,” the older man, Jack, responded.  He was a kind gentleman who always wore a Texas ranger hat.  “How’s that beautiful daughter of yours doing?” he asked kindly as she poured his coffee, got his sugar and cream, and filled out his ticket before passing it to Brian through the window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Addison smiled brightly like she did whenever anyone brought up Annabelle. “She is doing great.  We had pasta last night and she managed to get it all over her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack chuckled.  “Did any make into her stomach is the real question?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Addison laughed right along with him.  “I’m quite sure she takes after Zach in that area.  She is very food motivated.  Most of what she had on her tray managed to make it into her mouth.”  Addison and Jack continued to chat about the latest gossip until his food appeared in the window and Addison served him.  “Have a good breakfast, Jack.”  Addison moved on to the next customer that came in, and that is how her day went. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The early risers turned into students at around eight o’clock, and two more waitresses came in to help keep up with the breakfast rush.  Addison enjoyed this part of the day the most.  There was truly little time to think about the work; you just did your job and got through it.  Luckily, everyone working that day was rather good at their job, so no one had to pick up another’s slack.  The rush lasted until about ten o’clock, when most of the students were in classes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally, another waitress, turned to Addison at that point and said, “I’m going to take my break; can you take the booth at the far end?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Addison looked up and saw a young man with short, curly hair sitting facing away from them and she nodded, “Go ahead.  I got him, but I’m after you today!”  Sally smiled and thanked her before quickly moving to the back room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Addison got out her pad and made her way to the booth.  “Good morning!  My name is Ally.  What can we get for you today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Ally!  I’m just going to take a coffee,” replied the young man.  When she heard his voice, she nearly dropped her pen and pad.  Sitting in front of her, looking at her with his trademarked bright smile, was her cousin, Bucky. She froze on the spot and didn’t move until Bucky’s face turned to a look of concern.  “Are you all right, ma’am? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Oh? Yes! I apologize, I missed what you said you would like,” Addison responded, shaking herself out of her nerves.  ‘He doesn’t recognize me!  That’s a good sign.  I just need to stay calm.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem! Just a coffee please,” Bucky repeated, smiling once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Coming right up!”  Addison moved away from him walking quickly and let out the breath she did not know she was holding.  ‘What is he doing here? OH?! The cheer competition at the school.  Of course! Why didn’t I think to look at the visiting school list?  Seabrook University must be on it.’  She poured Bucky’s coffee into a clean mug and placed some cream and sugar packets on the saucer before bringing it back to him.  “It’s nice and fresh for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, thank you!  We just got here this morning after a long bus ride.  The teens on my bus kept all of us coaches awake all night.  I’ve been running on fumes all morning! And we still have practices to do before I can get to a bed,” Bucky gushed as he began pouring cream and sugar into his coffee.  As he was talking, Addison got a good look at her cousin. He was looking well; he still had his signature hair and was still wearing Seabrook’s bright colors.  He was, however, wearing something Addison knew he had not been wearing before she and Zen had run away: a ring.  He sipped his coffee carefully and exclaimed, “Oh this is good.  Thank you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course!  So, you are here for the cheer competition that the school is hosting?”  Addison asked, conversationally.  ‘I have to be casual and act like he is a normal customer.  I would normally talk to my customers,’ she thought in her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup!  I’m from Seabrook University!  Home of the mighty Shrimp!”  Bucky responded enthusiastically. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t that where the Zombies are from?”  Addison asked, playing dumb.  “Do you have any on your team?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bucky made a strange face, but replied in the affirmative.  “Yes, and yes; actually, we have three.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.  Cool.  It’s nice you guys are integrating them into things,” Addison supplied.  She had almost slipped and added the word “now.”  She had to be a bit more careful.  “Well, you enjoy your coffee.  I’ll be over there if you need anything else,” She pointed to behind the counter as she walked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!”  Addison froze for a moment before turning around.  Bucky looked at her a bit harder, and Addison could feel her hands start to shake slightly.  “Have you ever been to Seabrook before?  You look and seem familiar for some reason.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope! I’ve lived in Newark for some time now, actually,” Addison hastily replied, but regretted it quickly.  ‘Maybe I should have slowed that down a bit.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bucky cocked his head and looked at her for a moment longer.  That moment felt like an eternity to Addison, but in the end, Bucky shrugged, “No worries.  Thank you for the coffee!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Addison continued to walk to the end of the counter, letting out another breath.  ‘That was too close!  Hopefully he won’t be back in here tomorrow.  I need to talk to Zed before then. I hope his day is going better than mine.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>****There is supposed to be a line break here****</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Zed managed to get a bit more sleep after Addison left the bed, but it was not as restful as it was when he got to hold her.  When his alarm went off some hours later, he was able to get out of bed with only a bit of soreness from the day before in his arms.  Unfortunately, he still had to get up early to apply what he and Addison humorously called his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His “skin” was a waterproof concealer that Addison and their Seabrook contact were able to find.  It allowed him to hide his pale gray Zombie skin.  There was some experimentation with different products in the beginning, but they finally found something that would not smear and wash off easily.  If he applied it every other day, he was able to look mostly human.  It took a great deal of work to hide his Zombie-ness but Addison was worth it to him!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He quickly got dressed and made his way into Annabelle’s room to check on her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For some reason, he and Addison had managed to get one of the only babies that slept through the night.  That is when she was not sick, which, thanking her and their lucky stars, happened seldom.  So, when he looked into the crib that morning, he was not surprised to see her still asleep.  He gently began the process of picking her up and brought her to his chest.  He always hated this part.  He hated having to wake her up from a restful sleep like this, but he had to drop her off at Mrs. Gilmore’s soon and leave for work relatively quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gently patted her back and soothed her awake.  When she opened her eyes and began to grumble at him, he responded, “I know! I know, baby.  You can have a nap at Mrs. Gilmore’s later, but Daddy needs you awake so you can get over there.”  He soothed her for another moment before gathering his quick breakfast (also a bagel and cream cheese), her diaper bag, and his work bag. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, the drop off at Mrs. Gilmore’s went off without a hitch this morning (sometimes Annabelle was not happy to be A) awake and B) not in either of her parents’ arms).  “Thanks again, Mrs. Gilmore.  Ally will be by after she’s done with work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No worries, have a good day,” the old woman replied, already a tad distracted by the baby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zed made his way out of the complex and towards Main Street, where the shop was located.  The University of Delaware had their bookstores, of course, but there were also bookstores that weren’t part of the University that sold the textbooks the students needed. Zed really liked working at this store because he found a fondness for books he had not had before.  He also liked helping students find resources they probably would not have normally found without him.  Yesterday may have been a busy day, but he still felt like he had accomplished something because of this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Though I really hope today proves to be an easier day.’  Zed walked up to the door of the store and knocked.  He got Stacy’s attention and she let him in.  “Morning!”  Zed greeted her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning” she replied.  “There was a small delivery this morning; can you help me sort it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup! No problem/ Just let me put my stuff down!”  He moved to the back room and into the employee area where he shoved his bag into his cubby.  He went back out to where Stacy was unloading the box she had on the counter.  “Are we still in busy mode?”  She nodded.  “Got it!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Busy mode” meant that their normal way of categorizing things was thrown out the window and everything was sorted by subject and class number, instead.  He pulled up the school’s textbook list and began sorting the books she handed to him.  The “small” delivery they had turned in to a bigger one when three more boxes arrived ten minutes later.  They hurriedly sorted everything before they opened and just finished before they had to turn on the open sign and unlock the doors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fortunately, the day turned out not to be as busy as the day before, so Zed was thankful for the reprieve.  Well, his arms were, anyhow.  Like Addison, he enjoyed a day that went by quickly, but occasionally a slower day was nice, too.  The day dragged on for quite a while and he was resting on the counter, not really looking at the door, when he heard the bell go off.  Stacy called from her place by the shelves, “Can you help them, Zach? I have to find something for someone on the phone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zed looked up and saw a young woman wearing a brightly colored cheerleader uniform walking towards him.  She would have been considered tall to someone of average height, with long, green hair in pigtails.  Zed did a double-take when she got close to him.  Standing in front of him was his sister, Zoey!  “Oh my god! No way!  Keep cool, Zed. Time for my disguise to be put to the test! Hopefully, she won’t recognize me.’  “Good Morning,” he called to her as she made it to the counter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“HI!  I’m so sorry, but my professor from school up north sent an email out this morning telling us that we all had to read an excerpt from a book of short stories.  They popped this on us when I was out of town, of course, and I won’t be back into town until Sunday.  The bookstores will all be closed by then, and I have to read this story by Monday.  I’m sure the professor will have a pop quiz on the text, because that’s just the kind of professor he is.  Oh, I’m sorry!  I’m talking too much,” Zoey stopped after seeing Zed’s blank look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zed began laughing; his sister had not changed much in eight years.  She was still hyper.  “No problem!  Just tell me the book and I’ll see if we have it. If we do, I’ll find it for you and get you out of here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yay! Thank you,” Zoey replied happily, handing Zed the slip of paper with the text’s title on it.  He put the title into the inventory search and Zoey stared at him, bouncing with nervousness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the search came back with a hit, he smiled at her and said, “Looks like we have it in stock. Give me just one second.”  She cheered as he went over to the appropriate section and pulled the book.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He came back to the counter and began to ring her up.  “Out of curiosity, what school do you go to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What?! Oh! I got to Seabrook University! I’m on the cheer squad, and we are in town for the competition this weekend.  I’ve wanted to be a cheerleader my whole life.  I’m so happy I get to have the opportunity to do so,” Zoey explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, ‘opportunity to do so’?”  Zed asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right?!  I’m a Zombie.”  She held up her wrist to show him her Z-band.  “Don’t worry, though, this thing keeps me from wanting to eat your brains.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zed laughed at her joke.  “I trust you,” he reassured her as he bagged her book after she’d swiped her card to pay for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, most humans wouldn’t be so nice to a Zombie.  Thanks, mister.  What was your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zach.  Zach Davis, ma’am.  It was nice to meet you, too, Zoey,” he replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the mention of her name, she became shocked, “How did you know my name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Shit! What do I do?’ Thinking quickly, he said, “You, uh, mentioned it earlier when you were telling me about your problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did? Hmm.  Okay!”  She shrugged and seemed to accept the excuse.  She took the bag with the book in it, then she paused for a moment and looked at him closer.  “That’s strange.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” he asked innocently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing; I just thought you looked like someone I have not seen in a really long time.  Have you been to Seabrook or Zombietown before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not that I know of, sorry.  I’ve lived in Newark and stayed here for some time now,” Zed responded, shaking his head, trying hard to keep his face neutral.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm.  Okay.  Well, have a good day and thanks for your help!” Zoey turned and walked to the door slowly.  She looked back at Zed one more time before shrugging again and leaving the store.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Oh my Z.  That was way too close.  How could I mess up like that?  What am I going to tell Addison tonight? I hope her day went better than mine!’</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, there they are.  Bucky and Zoey are in Newark for the competition, and they seem to have some doubt in their minds as to these people they have met!</p><p>This chapter was originally going to be way longer and include Addison and Zed’s conversation later that day, as well as a conversation between Bucky and Zoey, but due to length, (this is already the longest single chapter I have ever written) I decided to cut it and make it its own chapter.  Expect that in the next day or two. </p><p>Side note on the speed at which this is coming out: I write these chapters when I get time off.  It just so happened that I had a day off work when I posted the prologue, so I wrote the first chapter and then I ended up with another day off a day later.  Do not expect these chapters to come out with the same frequency going forward.  I do have an idea for where this is going, and it's going to be good, but it's not all written so bear with me, please. Let me know what you thought of this chapter, though!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Figure it out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Continuing from last chapter</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After leaving the diner, Bucky made his way to the gym that had been designated for practices for the cheer squads.  He still could not get that waitress off his mind as he walked.  ‘She looked so familiar.  Why did she look so familiar?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he was walking towards the gym, he saw the familiar locks of his favorite cheerleader heading that way too.  “There’s my protégé!  Hey, Zoey! Wait up!”  he called, picking up his pace to catch up with her.  She, however, did not pay attention to him as he called.  He got closer and called again, “Zoey!”  When she still did not seem to hear him, he picked up his pace some more. Running now to catch up with her, he grabbed her arm and asked, “Are you okay? I was calling for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She jumped when he pulled her arm, but laughed when she saw it was him. “Yeah, I’m okay.  I just had an interesting time finding my book.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? Did you manage to find it?  If not, I could try to talk to your professor for you,” Bucky offered as they continued to walk towards their gym.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.  No, that wasn’t the interesting part, but thanks!” She replied holding up the bag in her hand.  “It...Well, I don’t really want to say it, because you’ll think I’m nuts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go ahead, I won’t think you’re nuts.  Or, rather, I already think you’re nuts,” Bucky teased, dodging the punch she threw in retaliation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still hesitating, she said, “Well, again, you’ll think I’m crazy but...You know what?  It’s impossible.  No, I won't even voice what I was thinking.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky tilted his head in concern.  “What’s wrong, Zoey?  Did someone say something about you being a Zombie?  What happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.  No, that’s not it either,” she started, then paused again, seeming to try to form the words she wanted to say.  “I think I saw my brother.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“WHAT?!”  Bucky exclaimed, stopping abruptly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know. Crazy, right? But the guy that helped me at the bookstore...I swear, if he had green hair and pale skin, would have been my brother’s twin! And I’m telling you he knew my name without me saying what my name was!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Zoey, that’s impossible.  Your dad and Missy and Dale have been looking for my cousin and your brother for ages.  They’ve found noth-“  Bucky halted as he thought of the waitress again.  He finally remembered where he’d seen that face before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?  Bucky, are you okay?” Now Zoey looked concernedly at Bucky. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky was taking shaky breaths now, as he thought about what Zoey had just said, and the waitress he’d met at the diner.  He took a deep breath to calm himself.  “Now you’re going to think I’m nuts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoey laughed.  “You are nuts, but go ahead.  What’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I stopped at the diner in town to get a cup of coffee a little bit ago,” Bucky started, still trying to calm himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go on,” Zoey encouraged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The waitress that helped me-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about her?” Zoey pushed, starting to get excited.  She was beginning to guess where he was going with this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you dyed her hair white and aged her down a few years, she could have been Addison’s twin, too,” Bucky finished.  They both looked at each for a moment, letting that wash over them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It's them!  Bucky, we’ve found them!  They are in disguises, but we found them!”  Zoey exclaimed gleefully jumping up and down in excitement.  “We have to call my dad and Eliza and Bonzo!”  She continued, starting to pull her phone out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“NO!” Bucky shouted and pushed her phone down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoey looked at Bucky like he had a second head for a moment. “Why not?” she asked in confusion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky thought for a moment before saying, “If it’s them -- and we have no real proof it is them -- they didn’t say anything to us.  The waitress told me she had lived in this town for a while.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, so did Zed,” Zoey replied.  “They didn’t say a specific amount of time, though.  Maybe they were only telling us as much as we needed to know to try and throw us off the scent?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe, but, Zoey, think about it for a moment.  Your brother loves you.  Why didn’t he say anything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” she replied sadly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What if they wanted to say something, but they knew if they did, they would lose what they have here?” Bucky proposed.  “What if they are happy here with their new lives?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But we miss them-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure they miss us too, but what if they are happy here?”  Bucky asked again.  “Do you want to ruin what they’ve built?  Remember how Aunt Missy and Uncle Dale treated them before?  Maybe we don’t know enough about what’s happened, and again we are assuming it’s them.  We have no proof.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah-“  Zoey shrugged sadly.  ‘It’s just I miss him so much, and her, too. He is my brother Bucky.  I’ve missed him every day for eight years.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know.  Addison was like a sister to me.  I would do anything to see and know it’s her,” Bucky said.  “Let’s get to the gym and have a good weekend and try to forget about meeting these two strangers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoey nodded, and they continued their walk towards the gym.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> ***line break here*** </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zed made it home in good time after work that day by almost running the entire way.  He made it to the complex and up to their apartment in record time.  He had to talk to Addison; he needed her help to get his head back on straight.  He opened the door and walked in to find his wife pacing in the living room with their child in her arms. “Addison? What’s wrong?”  he asked, all fears for his dilemma leaving his head, replaced by concerns for his wife.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> She looked up as he walked in, stopping her pacing and looked at him with fear in her eyes.  He had not seen her like this in over eight years.  “Someone came into the diner today to get some coffee,” she started.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “Oh no… You saw them too?” he asked, eyes widening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> She looked at him strangely for a moment, but nodded.  “Hold on.  ‘Too’?  Who did you see?” she asked, her own fear being replaced by fear for him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “Zoey came into the shop today looking for a book for her class at Seabrook University,” he recalled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, Zed!  It was Zoey?  I’m so sorry. That must have been so hard for you.”  She came over to him and placed her free hand lovingly on his cheek, still holding Annabelle with the other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Annabelle spotted her father then and began wiggling in her mother’s arms, holding hers out to him.  He smiled; she always knew how to make him feel better after long days.  He took her into his arms, so Addison could wrap both of them into a hug.  Then Zed remembered how this conversation started, “Wait.  You said you had a visitor too.  Who did you see? Was it Zoey?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Addison shook her head.  “Bucky must be coaching the University’s cheer squad now.  He’s down here with the team.” Addison looked solemn for a moment.  Zed led the family of three over to the couch to sit down.  The day was just too much for the parents.  “Zed, what are we going to do?  Bucky didn’t seem to recognize me, but what if he comes back into the diner and sees me again? If he gets too long a look he’ll figure it out; I’m sure of it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We just have to lay low.  Maybe you shouldn’t go to the cheer competition tomorrow?”  Zed suggested.  “I mean you do not work again until Sunday evening, and Zoey said they were leaving Sunday afternoon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison looked at him strangely for a moment before asking, “How did you find that out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “Zoey told me all about her situation with her class,” Zed laughed.  “She was just like she used to be.  She talked so fast I almost didn’t catch the entire story, but luckily I still speak ‘Zoey’.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Addison giggled.  “Bucky didn’t seem to have changed much either.  He still had his hair short and still wore Seabrook’s bright green and pink, but he seemed to have toned down the enthusiasm a bit.”  It was that moment she remembered the other thing about him.  “OH! And he had a wedding ring on.  I think he’s married now.  I wonder who he married?  Maybe one of the Aceys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “I don’t know if one of them could handle him.  But that makes me wonder, too,” Zed replied, chuckling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “How did your sister look?”  Addison asked hesitantly.  “I mean, physically. Her personality doesn’t seem to have changed that much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Zed remembered his sister’s visit to his store for a moment.  Laughing and smiling, he said, “She grew into a beautiful young woman.  She is taller now, of course, but she seemed to only have inherited a fraction of my tallness.  Oh, my Z, Addison, and her hair.  It was amazing.  Long, but still in pigtails,” Zed gushed.  “But, of course, second to your natural hair,” he added quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> She patted him on the head.  “Good boy, I trained you well.”  She smiled at him, happy he got to see his sister.  She knew that when they had left, he’d made more sacrifices than she had.  He’d left family members that cared for him; friends that he’d had for almost all of his life.  She’d left two parents that yelled at her constantly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Annabelle seemed to want her parents’ attention then, or maybe she was hungry.  Either way, she let herself be heard.  “I guess someone may be hungry; I know I am,” Zed said.  “Here, watch her.  I’ll make dinner tonight.  My day was not hard.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Addison took the baby back and sat on the floor to play with her and keep her occupied as Zed went to the kitchen.  “I’m making cauliflower tonight.  I promise not to put too many pepper flakes into it this time,” he added, before Addison could interrupt.  The Necrodopolous family might like spicy things, but she did not, even if she was, in a roundabout way, a part of it now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “Thank you,” she called from her position on the floor.  Annabelle had been crawling for a  while now, so they had to watch her like a hawk to make sure she did not completely destroy the apartment.  “You never told me if Zoey recognized you.  I think Bucky was starting to, but I made a beeline to get out of his line of sight when that happened.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “Oh, right, about that,” Zed replied from the stove.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “What did you do?” she asked suspiciously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I may have accidentally used her name before she told me it.”  He said sheepishly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, Zed.  Did you have to blow our cover that quickly?”  Addison sighed as she pulled the baby back towards her.  Annabelle had spotted the shiny screen of the TV and wanted to investigate. When pulling her daughter away from her goal, Addison was met with an angry babyface, so she distracted the toddler with a toy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “I’m sorry!  It slipped. I was able to cover it up.  She seemed to have bought it, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“All right.  Well, as long as she bought it.  I guess we don’t have much to worry about as long as we don’t run into them again,” Addison replied.  “I still want to go to the competition tomorrow.  It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to watch one, and I was excited.  I wanted to share it with Annabelle,” she added, giving the back of Zed’s head a pout.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm.  All right, but be careful, please,” Zed replied knowing she was pouting without having to turn around.  “You realize, of course, that she won't remember going to a cheer competition with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know I will be, and yes, I’m aware.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “Doesn’t mean I won’t worry about you, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Addison smiled at the back of her husband’s head and said to Annabelle, “Mommy’s going to take you to watch your Aunt and Cousin tomorrow.  They are going to be amazing.  I bet your cousin has the best routine already set up for it.  They will win for sure.”  Annabelle just stared at her mother blankly.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Again this was going to be apart of the last chapter but since that chapter was all ready so long and this one ended up being about as long as a normal chapter by itself I decided to split them  I think it flows nicely.  I think I have decided to try and post once a week till the story is finished.  Most of it is planned out and I know where I want it to go so it will not be overly daunting as long as I stay ahead.  Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of this chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Cheer Competition</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Going to a cheer competition where Addison runs into someone.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ever since Addison and Zed moved to Newark, and Addison got her job at the diner, they would always go to the diner for breakfast on Saturday (Saturday being the only day she wanted completely off, and Brian was nice enough to accommodate her).  They were able to get a discount, the food was amazing, and Brian adored Annabelle, so it was win-win for everyone involved.  This particular Saturday was no different.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison was the first to awaken, due to her work schedule making her internal clock wake her early every morning.  While she adored working at the diner and loved working the morning shift, it would be nice if her internal clock would know when she had the day off! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She got up, dressed, and made her way into the bathroom.  She had decided the night before that she wanted to get the dye jobs done before bed, but had neglected to clean up the mess afterward.  She tidied up the supplies while Zed began to stir. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When all the supplies were cleaned up, she made her way back into their room to watch Zed.  She loved watching him on mornings like this.  She knew he was awake, and he knew she was watching him.  They did not get to have a lot of alone time anymore, so moments like this were treasured.  She crawled back into bed and began kissing his jawline, waiting for his reaction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she got to kissing him properly, he was eagerly returning the kiss.  Unfortunately, that moment was when Annabelle decided to remind the young parents that they were, well, parents.  Addison giggled into their kiss and tried to pull away, but Zed held her close.  She mumbled something into the kiss that Zed could not quite understand.  He let her up enough for her to be heard better.  “You know I hate it when we don’t go and get her right away.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zed sighed.  “Yeah, I know.  Go get our daughter.  Doesn’t mean I don’t want to kiss you, though.  I’ll get dressed.”  Addison was a caring mother, and Zed loved that about her.  Addison never wanted Annabelle to feel alone when she was distressed.  Her argument was that she did not want to turn into her own mother; Zed understood that.  Zed rolled out of bed as Addison moved out of the room to retrieve the baby.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The young family met in the living room.  Everyone was dressed and had coats on (the temperature had already begun to drop, even this early in the fall).   Zed picked up the baby bag and left the apartment, going to the storage closet they had in the main corridor of the building, and got out the stroller.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they got to ground level, he unfolded the stroller, and Addison got Annabelle settled into it.  They began their walk to the diner.  Zed loved these moments with Addison and his daughter; he never would have believed this would be his life eight years ago. Who could have thought that a Zombie would be allowed to have a human wife and a child and be allowed to walk down the street with both in the broad daylight?  Mind you, he understood that technically all three of them were in disguise, but, to him, it did not matter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they entered the diner, they received a chorus of greetings from the staff.  Everyone at the diner loved Annabelle and how cute she was.  They all doted on her when Addison and Zed brought her with them on Saturdays.  They took a table at the far end of the bar, and Brian came out to dote on Annabelle.  “She’s getting big!  Aren’t you, little princess?”  Brian baby talked as he took her from Addison after she got her out of the stroller. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She is!  We had to get her some new clothes earlier this week.  She’s outgrown almost everything she has at home,” Addison supplied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you were able to find her what she needed?  I can talk to Beth about helping you find things,” Brian asked and offered.  Addison and Zed knew the actual question was about their money situation, which, while it was tight, they were able to manage and keep clothes on Annabelle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We were able to find what she needed,” Zed replied; he was always a little defensive about this topic but knew Brian was just trying to be nice. “Thank you for the offer, though!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, Uncle Brian is going to make you a pancake. How does that sound, little princess?”  Annabelle gurgled at Brian happily.  Brian shrugged as Addison giggled and took Annabelle back from him.  Zed got a highchair from the corner and Addison got out their highchair cover. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sally came over and took their drink orders (two coffees and a milk).  Zed and Addison got settled as their drinks came.  “Any adventures planned for today?” Sally asked, after getting Zed and Addison’s orders. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m taking the little princess to see the cheer competition!”  Addison squealed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sally laughed.  “A little excited?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I used to cheer in high school,” Addison explained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? What high school did you guys go to again?” Sally asked curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t know it. We’re from a small town, out of state,” Zed replied quickly, and received a grateful look from Addison for his quick thinking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sally looked at the pair for a moment, trying to put the pieces together, then shrugged it off.  “Okay, then. Have fun at the competition!” she replied, walking away to give the kitchen their order.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their food arrived promptly, like normal.  Zed almost always got the French toast and Addison usually got eggs and toast.  Annabelle loved Brian’s pancakes, even though her parents would not allow her to have the sugary brown stuff her dad liked on his French toast.  Zed was, once again, on baby duty, but Annabelle did not make a mess this time, since almost all of her pancake made it into her mouth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the family had finished their breakfast, they made their way outside.  “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?  It’s going to be at the Lil Bob,” Addison asked.  “I don’t want you to have to spend the day alone, if you don’t want to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be fine,” Zed replied with a smile.  “I’ll clean the apartment a bit, while you have the baby.”  Zed added after a thought, “You have the headphones?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I knew I’d have you trained eventually, and yes, I do,” she teased and nodded.  “All right, princess.  Say goodbye to daddy.  We are having a girls day and going to see some awesome cheering!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zed waved goodbye to his girls and headed in the opposite direction.  Addison set off toward Lil Bob.  The Lil Bob was what the university and the town called the sports venue that was in the middle of town. The newer, bigger, facility, nicknamed “Big Bob”, was set on the outskirts of town.  Addison was thankful they would not be heading there today, as the walk was much longer, and she did not want to have to push the stroller that far, or deal with getting on and off a bus with a stroller (nightmare material).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girls made it to the sports center in good time, right before the first cheer teams were ready to go on.  Addison managed to find an easily stroller-accessible seat and sat down.  She got the noise-canceling headphones out of the baby bag and put them on Annabelle’s head.  Annabelle might hate them, but they protected her fragile hearing from the loud music and sounds in the room.   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the cheering began, Addison kept a running commentary to her daughter.  Yes, she would not be able to hear her mother but Addison did not care.  “You see that that’s a basket toss.  Mommy and daddy met once when mommy was tossed and your Uncle Bonzo knocked the people that were going to catch me out of the way.  Your daddy caught me in perfect form sliding on his knees.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When it was Seabrook’s turn, Addison cheered the loudest for her hometown.  Even if they did not know she was from Seabrook, she still wanted to be supportive.  She spotted Zoey, “There’s your Aunt Zoey, baby.”  Addison pointed to her as her daughter looked back blankly.  After Zoey was tossed in the air a few times and some of the more dangerous moves were done by her, Addison was thankful Zed was not watching.   “Your daddy would be rushing on to the stage to berate your aunt after that routine,” Addison pointed out, giggling to herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The cheer competition lasted until early afternoon, and Addison noticed Annabelle had fallen asleep about halfway through the penultimate routine.  Addison got up and began walking toward the exit.  It was a fun day, but she was ready to get home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had just walked out the door and started down the walk, when she saw someone she knew.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey there, are you the waitress from the diner?  You served me yesterday.  Ally was it?” Bucky questioned as Addison walked up to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Choking down her nerves, Addison smiled politely and replied, “Yes that is my name and I remember you!”  Thinking to herself, ‘How could I forget?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky looked in the stroller and hesitated for a moment before saying, “Is this your daughter?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison nodded in the affirmative. “Yes, this is Annabelle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s beautiful,” Bucky replied admiring Annabelle in her stroller.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The cheer competition seems to have knocked her out.  I guess the excitement got to her,” Bucky laughed good-naturedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.  I think I bored her with my talk of my escapades from high school,” Addison replied, jokingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You used to cheer in high school?  Which school?”  Bucky asked curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You probably wouldn’t know of it.  I lived in a pretty small town.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How long did you say you've lived in Newark?” Bucky continued conversationally.  Addison could tell he was starting to get suspicious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t, actually.  My husband and I have lived in Newark for eight years,” she replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Husband, huh? Aren’t you a little young to be married already?  Is he good to you?” Bucky asked teasingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison hesitated again, but replied, “Not that it’s any of your business, but he’s the best.  I couldn’t ask for a more amazing husband and father to my child.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you are doing okay financially?”  Bucky pressed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Again, not that it’s any of your business, but yes, he and I both work, but we are doing okay.  We won’t be buying a mansion, but we do well enough to be happy with our lives.  Especially since Annabelle graced us last year,”  Addison defended.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good.  I’m happy you and your husband have found your ‘Someday,’” Bucky said under his breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison’s eyes went wide for a moment before checking her reaction.  ‘Oh my god!  He knows, and my reaction to that was a dead giveaway.  Damn it, Addison,’ she berated herself. “I’m sorry? What was that?” she asked, trying to sound dumb.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky smiled fondly at Addison.  “It’s just something my cousin used to say about her and her boyfriend.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Used to’? Did something happen to her?”  Addison probed, obviously already knowing the answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She ran away with said boyfriend eight years ago.  Neither of their families have heard from them since,”  Bucky replied sadly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh?  I’m sorry.  She sounded like she was very romantic at heart.”  Addison returned the sad look, but giggled inwardly at the anonymous portrayal of herself.  “Yes, my husband and I have found our ‘Someday’, as you put it.”  Addison did not understand what was going on.  Her cousin was standing in front of her.  ‘He has to know it’s me. Why isn’t he calling me out?  He has to know it’s me, doesn’t he?  Does he want Zed and I to be happy? Is that why he isn’t pressing?’  Addison smiled fondly at Bucky once more.  ‘Maybe he misses us, but respects our decision?  Wow, he has grown up a lot in the last eight years.  I wonder if Zed and I leaving had a hand in that,’ she added to herself.  Addison looked at her watch before exclaiming, “It’s been nice speaking with you, but my husband is expecting us for dinner.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Addison waved at Bucky and began walking away from him.  Right before she was out of earshot, she could have sworn she heard him say, “Goodbye.  I’m happy for you, Addison.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So fun fact that may get me kicked out of the fandom… I realized about halfway through writing this chapter in my head I had NO references to any of their main ideas.  That was not intentional, just an oversight in my head.  I added the bit about their ‘Someday,’ in the last chapter right before posting it. Luckily, I am still a week away on writing this, so I was able to add a little.</p>
<p>Anyhow, once again let me know what you think!  Reviews will always make me happy, so please leave me one and follow for future updates.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. You Knew?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Bucky gets back to Seabrook to his wife.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> After coming in third at the competition, the Seabrook University cheer team got home on Sunday afternoon.  After a quick meeting in the gym, the head coach released the assistant coaches to go home.  Bucky drove to the house he shared with his wife, still in a daze after his meetings with Addison over the last few days.  Pulling into the driveway of his small home, he got out of his car and grabbed his duffle from the trunk, before heading up the steps and inside.  He deposited the bag next to the door and made his way into the kitchen. </p>
<p>His wife was cooking at the stove, wearing earphones.  Her head was bobbing up and down with the beat, and her feet were shuffling from side to side.  He smiled, watching her dance with her limited ability in her current state.  He snuck up behind her and grabbed her sides.  She whipped around with her hand ready to slap him.  Luckily, he ducked, knowing her well enough to anticipate her reaction. “Shit, Cheerstick!  Way to sneak up on me. I wasn’t expecting you home until after 7pm tonight,” Eliza exclaimed.</p>
<p>Bucky chuckled at her nickname for him and replied, “Yeah, the head coach let the assistant coaches go home early.”</p>
<p>“You okay? Normally you come home and I know immediately you are home,” she asked, tilting her head to the side in thought.</p>
<p>Bucky thought about his answer for a moment and answered, “Yeah, yeah?”</p>
<p>Eliza shook with laughter and questioned, “Are you sure? That sounded more like a question than an answer.”</p>
<p>Catching himself and trying to ease any suspicion she may have had, he replied, “Yeah, I’m okay.”</p>
<p>Eliza turned back to the stove with a shrug and continued her cooking.  Bucky sat at the table and pulled his phone out to check his emails.  The head coach had already sent out an email requesting a new training schedule, ‘Our performance over the weekend was not up to par.   How are we going to influence our cheerleaders to do better?’  Bucky shook his head and thought, ‘Hard-ass.  How about a good job for getting second place?  That competition was more wide-spread than we thought it would be, and our team did really well.’</p>
<p>Eliza brought him out of his thoughts when she asked about his weekend, “How did the competition go?  You never told me where you were going, by the way.  What would have happened if I'd gone into labor and you weren’t in town and I didn’t know where you even were?!”</p>
<p>Bucky had the decency to look sheepish and replied, “Sorry, E.  You know this one was kind of spur of the moment, and you have plenty of support around here.  I mean, if worse came to worst, you could have called Bonzo and Bree.”  That seemed to placate her enough to get her out of her tangent, so he answered her question, “We placed third, and It was in a small town: Newark, DE.”</p>
<p>Bucky knew something was up when Eliza froze. She recovered, but it took her a moment.  “Wait?!  What was that?” he asked.  ‘No way, does she know?!’</p>
<p>“What was what?”  Eliza countered, still not looking at her husband.</p>
<p>“That look?”</p>
<p>“What look? There wasn’t a look.  In fact, I wasn’t even looking at you.”  Eliza replied, finally turning around.  Her eyes were a bit misty, and now he knew something was amiss.</p>
<p>“Oh my god! YOU KNEW!”  Bucky accused his wife.</p>
<p>“Knew what?  What's wrong, Bucky?”  Eliza questioned, attempting to soften her features.</p>
<p>Bucky stood up and walked over to her, looking more serious than ever before.  “Now you are using my real name.  I know this is serious.”  He took a breath before saying what he expected was true, “You’ve known where Addison and Zed were this entire time.  They’ve been living as a married couple in Newark, DE.”</p>
<p>“You saw Zed and Addison?!”  Eliza exclaimed, grabbing her chest in a clearly fake motion.</p>
<p>“What do you mean ‘You saw Zed and Addison?’” he asked, pointing at her.  “Your reaction already gave it away, Eliza.  I know you knew where they were, and I bet you’ve known the entire time, haven’t you?” Bucky added after a moment.</p>
<p>It was Eliza’s turn to look sheepish.  “Well you didn’t expect those two lovesick fools to be able to run away on their own-”</p>
<p>“So you helped them?”  Bucky questioned.</p>
<p>“Of course I did! He’s my best friend and she was my only girl friend at the time.”  Eliza countered defensively.</p>
<p>“What?!”</p>
<p>Eliza took a breath, turned the stove off, and moved to sit down in a chair.  “Look, if you want the full story, I’ll tell it, but you have to let me tell it.  You can’t interrupt me,” Eliza offered.</p>
<p>Bucky took the chair across from her and said, “Okay.  Go ahead.”</p>
<p>Eliza let out of breath she did not even know she was holding and said, “Settle in.  This is a bit of a long story.”</p>
<p> ***** Flashback*****</p>
<p>“Wait, you guys want to WHAT?!” Eliza exclaimed, looking at her best friend and his girlfriend, in complete and utter disbelief. </p>
<p>They were in Eliza's room at her parents’ house.  She was sitting at her desk and they were on the bed sitting against the wall.  Zed had his arm around Addison.</p>
<p>Addison sat up and waved her hands in front of her and held her finger up to her lips “Shhh! You are the only one we are telling, Eliza.  Anyhow, we are going to leave town and run away together.”  Addison said this with such a calm face that Eliza could not believe it was Addison in front of her. </p>
<p>‘Of course, they want to run away together,’ Eliza thought to herself, ‘this is Zed and Addison we are talking about.  They have loved each other, practically since they met.’</p>
<p>Eliza shook her head at them and said, “But why? I don’t get it.  I mean I know Addison’s parents suck, but they aren’t that bad, are they?”  Eliza knew they had issues with Addison’s parents, of course.  Practically everyone at the school knew, honestly.</p>
<p>Zed sat up and answered her this time, “E, they want her to put her wig back on and are threatening to send her away so we can’t see each other anymore.” </p>
<p>They both looked so sad.  Eliza herself almost started crying for them.  Eliza whistled and replied, “Whoa.  It’s that bad now?”</p>
<p>Addison sighed, nodded sadly, and stated, “Yes, it really is that bad now.”  Zed put his arm back around her and pulled her to him.</p>
<p>Eliza shook her head again and asked, “Have you guys really thought about this, though? What are you going to do about Zed?  I mean, you are clearly a Zombie, Zed,” she continued, waving her hand at Zed up and down, in order to illustrate her point.</p>
<p>Addison smiled and laughed, “Nothing some concealer can’t hide, girl.  And we can dye his hair," she added, before Eliza could bring up that concern, too.</p>
<p>Eliza looked at them worriedly and said, “What about the Z-Band?”  Zed pointed at his ankle like it was obvious.  “Right, I guess that will work, but how are you going to get it there?”</p>
<p>Zed waved that off with his normal swagger and said, “I’ve already proven I can hold myself together long enough to not hurt anyone, so we move it ourselves.” Eliza raised her eyebrow at him, so he continued, “I mean, I’d rather you do it than Addison but I don’t think we’ll have an issue with that one.” </p>
<p>Eliza nodded, knowing he would never intentionally put Addison in danger like that.  He might be able to control himself somewhat but even <em>he </em>lost control of his zombie side when he lost concentration. </p>
<p>“Right, but what about the fact that, you know, Addison is underaged?  And how are you going to explain you are together without it seeming like you kidnapped her?” Eliza brought up, continuing to try to think up everything the two teens in front of her had not considered.</p>
<p>“That’s what fake IDs are for, and mainly what we need help with,” Addison answered this time with a knowing look.  Most of their class knew about Eliza’s side business.  She was able to pick up some money on the side by making fake IDs for most of her class.  Zed and Addison had never approached her about them before. </p>
<p>‘I can’t believe how much they have actually thought about this. Can we really pull this off? ‘We?’ When did I actually agree to help them?’ She looked between them again and knew the answer instantly.  She immediately felt a rush that only her friendship with Zed could make her feel.  ‘I agreed to help them the moment I met Zed, when we were kids.’  Eliza chuckled and said, “Fair enough.  I could do that easily.”</p>
<p>Zed let out a breath then.  “And, well, in regards to the other thing, that’s what this is for,” Zed said as he got up and brought something out of his pocket that Eliza could not see with him facing away from her.</p>
<p>The question of what Zed had in his hand was answered by Addison, when she squealed, “Where in the world did you get an engagement ring?! And how long has it been in your pocket?”</p>
<p>Zed smirked at his girlfriend and replied, “It’s the ring my mom wore.  I’ve had it for a few months.  I pull it out to think about what the future can hold for us.”  Zed took a shaky breath and added,  “Let’s make that future today.  This is our ‘Someday.’”  Zed said, pointing at the ring.  He then got down on one knee and Addison brought her hand to her mouth.  “It’s here and it’s time for us to grab it and take it.  Will you marry me?” </p>
<p>Clearly, Addison could not talk right now, so her answer came in the form of her nodding.  She slid onto her knees in front of Zed and brought her hands to the sides of his head and brought him into a lingering kiss.</p>
<p>After about a minute of them making out in front of her, Eliza decided to stop them and exclaimed, “Okay,  that was really sweet and all, but what about where will you be going?”  She knew they knew she was only teasing them.  She would always be grateful to be the one that witnessed their engagement.  Later in life, she knew she would feel honored to know how it happened.</p>
<p>The couple broke apart, and because Zed looked a little lost at the moment, Addison said, "That was another problem we were hoping you’d help us handle.”  The couple moved back to the bed and Addison put the ring on her finger.  She stared at it as she lounged against Zed. </p>
<p>‘Lovesick fools, but that’s why you love them, Eliza,’ Eliza told herself. Then, being Eliza, she decided to continue the conversation, since it was an important conversation, after all, “Well, you’ll need somewhere you can blend in as a young couple and just be yourselves.”</p>
<p>Zed nodded enthusiastically, “Exactly! We want to find somewhere we can’t get in trouble for being ourselves.”</p>
<p>Eliza nodded her head and said, “Maybe a small town that hosts one of the smaller state universities?”</p>
<p>Zed and Addison nodded together.  “That would work well,” Zed confirmed.</p>
<p>“Let me do some research, and I guess I have some IDs I need to make,” Eliza said.</p>
<p>“You’ll help us?”  Zed questioned.</p>
<p>“Zed, you are my best friend.  If you think this will make you and Addison happy, I will help you make this work.”  Eliza smirked at them,  “And you both need all the help you can get.  I’m sure there are things we haven’t thought about yet, too.”  Eliza considered for a moment, “When were you thinking of leaving?”</p>
<p>“As soon as we choose a city, we will get whatever we can carry into some bags and leave,”  Addison replied with certainty.  “The sooner the better.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/n: So this chapter was not originally in the plan, but I thought it would be a good idea to explain Eliza a bit.  Also, Eliza was probably easy to guess, but really who else would they have gone to?  I thought maybe Zed’s dad but I don’t think he would have helped them run away no matter how bad he felt for them.  Thoughts?<br/>Next week we continue back to the present, and Zed actually works that bartending job we haven't seen yet... Um, oops?  I promise it's important.<br/>Review for me, please!  It really does make my day to read what you guys thought of this story!</p>
<p>A/n 2: My editor that I normally use has decided they do not wish to continue to edit this story for me.  They did this chapter, but they are unwilling to do it anymore.  Until a new editor is found, this story will be coming out at a slower pace.  If anyone is willing to pick up that mantle let me know!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, this is another one of those things that people hint at but don’t actually do.  I want to explore it!  This is definitely NOT a part of the one-shot series I’ve been writing.  Let me know what you think as we go?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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